Ohio State turned in its worst on field performance in over a year yesterday against Michigan State and millions tuned in to witness it.
Michigan State's 17-14 win in Ohio Stadium, which snapped the Buckeyes' 23-game winning streak, earned a 7.0 overnight rating, making the ABC broadcast the most-watched college football game of 2015 across all networks.
The game was the highest-rated 3:30 p.m. game on ABC in nearly 10 years, topped only be the 2006 game featuring No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan and up 94 percent over a comparable window last season.
The Columbus market earned a staggering 42.0 rating, while Dayton did a 30.7, Cleveland a 28.5 and Detroit a 26.0.
The results give Ohio State the two highest-rated games of the 2015 season.
| Rank | Rating | Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.0 | Sat, Nov. 21 | 3:30 p.m. | MICHIGAN STATE at OHIO STATE | ABC |
| 2 | 6.6 | Mon, Sept. 7 | 8 p.m. | OHIO STATE at VIRGINIA TECH | ESPN |
| 3 | 6.3 | Sat, Nov. 7 | 8 p.m. | LSU at ALABAMA | CBS |
| 4 | 5.5 | Sat, Nov. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | FLORIDA STATE at CLEMSON | ABC |
| 5 | 5.1 | Sat, Oct. 17 | 3:30 p.m. | MICHIGAN STATE at MICHIGAN | ESPN |
| 6 | 5.0 | Sat, Sept. 12 | 8 p.m. | OREGON at MICHIGAN STATE | ABC |
| 7 | 4.8 | Sat, Oct. 3 | 8 p.m. | NOTRE DAME at CLEMSON | ABC |
| 8 | 4.6 | Sat, Sept. 19 | 9:15 p.m. | OLE MISS at ALABAMA | ESPN |
| 9 | 4.5 | Sat, Oct. 3 | 3:30 p.m. |
REGIONAL (OHIO STATE at INDIANA or TEXAS TECH at BAYLOR) |
ABC |
| 10 | 4.3 | Sat, Sept. 5 | 8 p.m. | WISCONSIN at ALABAMA | ABC |
